Fabrication And Characterization Of ZnO Nanorods And Chemically Modified Electrodes

Nanoarray elelctrodes have great advantage in enhancing sensitivity, promotingselectivity, reducing responsing time span to confront the challenges from the areas asenvironmental monitering, life science, energy resources. One-dimensional zinc oxide(ZnO) nanoarray electrodes are widely researched thanks to ZnO’s excellent properties,such as its wide bandgap (3.37eV) at room temperature, the chemical and thermalstability, transparence, biocompatibility. Prussion Blue and its analogues, with theirelectrocatalytic activity towards quite a few biological metabolites and organicpollutants in our soundings, have become one of important materials for electrodemodification. Therefore, it is significant to study on the basic approaches topreparation of ZnO nanorod arrays and nanoarrays of Prussion Blue and its analogueson electrode surfaces using, here, the nanopore patterns of alumina membrane astemplates.(1) A hydrothermal method was used to produce ZnO nanorods in a mixed solutionof zinc acetate and hexamethylenetetramine as precursors at a temperature of90oC. Themorphology of the prepared ZnO nanorods was observed with a field-emision SEM.And the mechanism of the nanorod formation was discussed. The results show that thenanorods are hexagonal wurtizite-type crystal rods with an average diameter of1um andan average length of6um. The concentrations of the precursors, temperature, time spanand the different growing rates on the polar and unpollar cystal faces are among otherfactors determining the shape and size.(2) A two-step anodization method was used for the production of the aluminamembarane templates on silicon substrate coated with a thin layer of aluminum at roomtemperature under a voltage as low as10V vs. a Ag/AgCl electrode. The process andthe mechanism of aluminum membrances was expolored. The method is morecontrollable than the conventional one and maybe be easier to the follow-up preparationof alumina template for ZnO nanorod arrays and nanoarrays of Prussion Blue and itsanalogues on electrode surfaces.(3) Cupric hexacyanoferrate (CuHCN) was modified on gold disc, Platinum wireand Si-based Al film (Si/Al) chip electrodes using grinding powder method, chemicaldeposition, electrodeposition and anodization method. And the modified electrodes werecharacterized electrochemically. The results indicates that the prepared CuHCN modified electrodes exhibited well-defined redox peaks between0.6V and0.8V. Theredox activity of CuHCN probe on the surfaces of all the electrodes described aboveprovides us with an option for electrode materials and with potential preparation fornanoarrays of Prussion Blue and its analogues on different surfaces of electrodes.